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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28128759">A Surprising Tenderness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabiD57/pseuds/GabiD57'>GabiD57</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Caring Illya, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:02:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28128759</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabiD57/pseuds/GabiD57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A brief little late night glimpse into a certain someone's humanity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Surprising Tenderness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The unearthly late night hush in Medical's halls amplified Nurse Doyle's slightly squeaking white shoes as she carried out her 2:00 a.m. patient checks.  Most of the rooms were empty for a change, which allowed her to spend some extra time with her newest charge located in the room closest to the nurses' station.  She looked forward to this time together.</p><p>As she neared the door, she was surprised to hear the murmuring voice of a certain section 2 agent.  Stopping very quietly at the doorway,  she peered around the corner to look at her patient. She was shocked to find Illya Kuryakin holding the little baby girl brought to Medical earlier that evening.  Her parents, both defecting THRUSH scientists, had been killed in a firefight and their daughter, still strapped into the back of their car, was in Medical while relatives were being sought.</p><p>As she watched, Kuryakin lifted the curly headed little blonde infant and cradled her in his arms.  The white of the bandages on his forehead shone in the dim light, and exhaustion was written large on his pale face.  But he held the child tenderly and kissed her forehead, then sat down in the rocker next to the crib which had been brought in for her.  He carefully arranged her receiving blanket, settled himself as comfortably as he could, and started gently rocking.  </p><p>Just as Nurse Doyle was about to return to her station, she found herself turning around in shock.  A sweet, tender low voice was softly singing what was undoubtedly a Russian lullaby.  There was a vague sadness to the melody which brought tears to her eyes, causing them to prickle and a lump to form in her throat.  She looked back at Kuryakin with new eyes, seeing instead of a surly, cantankerous, toughened agent a lonely young man far from home.  </p><p>In the dim light, the golden hair fell over the high forehead, covering the bandages with a silken curtain.  The large scraped hands held the infant very carefully as the child fell back to sleep, and Kuryakin gently continued rocking.  Nurse Doyle's hand went to her chest as she saw him wipe several tears from his eyes, still gazing tenderly at the child in his arms and crooning the lullaby.  She couldn't help but wonder where his thoughts were, but decided to leave him in this moment which seemed to bring him such comfort.  </p><p>Never again would she think him cold and unfeeling.</p>
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